December 2014

The Myth Makers

Donna Dodson & Andy Moerlein aka The Myth Makers, are contracted to build 5 monumental public art sculptures that will be transported to the Garment District in NYC Sat Jan 3rd. The installation of all 5 sculptures is called Avian Avatars, and will be on view through April 24th 2015. These works of art are built from saplings that reference nature and evoke that natural world. Each one incorporates found objects that create a continuity amongst the 5 sculptures. The found objects locate the pieces in the urban environment and invite a dialogue with the people of NYC i.e. an urban audience. The Myth Makers are excited to work as Artists in Residence courtesy of Save That Stuff, Inc. in Charlestown to bring these sculptures to life. Dodson and Moerlein will be building the sculptures on site, in Save That Stuff’s CHaRM (Center for Hard to Recycle Materials) warehouse in Charlestown.

Avian Avatars are built from renewable and recycled resources. The saplings are harvested in the forest understory from stump regrowth. The hardwood timber industry leaves abundant stumps that swiftly send up suckers towards the sunlit gaps. These fragile slender saplings are selectively thinned by the Myth Makers, allowing more robust trees to flourish. Tied together with wire ties, the structure of these sculptures has the strength and massive presence of tree trunks, but the lightness and transparency of a sapling thicket.

The collaboration between Moerlein and Dodson is born from a mutual love of the wild. Moerlein takes inspiration from events in the natural world that leave visual marks which strike a narrative chord in the artist. Dodson takes inspiration from the mysterious nature of animals that spark her imagination. Although monumental in scale, these ephemeral works are temporary in nature. Made from natural materials, they are site specific, and respond to their local audience. Meaning to only last 3-5 years, they appear, fade, and disappear, adding a chapter to the life stories in their communities.

Save That Stuff, Inc. is excited to have the Myth Makers at our CHaRM center, as they lend a new take on material reuse. Dodson and Morlein are a self-sufficent duo, and it has been a pleasure intersecting with them on the weekends and seeing the Avian Avatars take shape. As they work and weave with the saplings, the material literally takes on a new life.

Though this is an unusual partnership for a recycling company, we support new and creative routes to thinking about the materials we encounter in the everyday, and helping a public audience to engage with their surroundings, the natural environment, and recycled & reused materials.